Final Hammer Throw Propels Williams To NCAA Championship

AUSTIN, Texas – Chances were that senior thrower Jianna Williams was in good shape to advance to the NCAA Championships after her first throw at the 2015 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field West Preliminary Thursday, however she left no doubt and heaved a personal-best throw on her third and final effort of the day to cement her spot in the field in Eugene, Oregon.

Williams began the day with a throw of 202-00, which would have just put her in the field in the No. 12 spot had she not improved her mark on her final two attempts.  After a toss of 201-8 on her second attempt, Williams needed a big effort on her third attempt to assure herself a spot in the NCAA Championship for the second-straight year.  On her third and final throw, she recorded a personal-best mark of 209-5 to finish in fourth place overall and secure her place in Eugene.

"Jianna competed well ahead of her seed and punched her ticket to the NCAA Championship," Illinois State Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Jeff Bovee said.  "Her last attempt was her all-time personal best by almost a foot and she continues to show up in big meets when the chips are down.  I look forward to seeing what she can do Saturday in the shot put." 

Last year, Williams finished 19th overall to earn All-American Honorable Mention honors in the hammer throw with a toss of 57.22 meters (187-09) at the NCAA Championships. She will have a second chance to earn a berth at the NCAA Championships, when she and teammate Morgan Keller compete in the shot put, Saturday, at 6 p.m.

The only other Redbird to compete Thursday was sophomore Anderson Devonish, who took the track against some of the best in the country in the 400-meter dash.  Running in heat No. 4, Devonish finished in a time of 46.62 and automatically qualified for Friday's quarterfinal round by virtue of his top-3 finish in his heat.  His time was the 10th best of the day overall, and he will take the track again tomorrow at 6:15 p.m., looking to secure his spot at the NCAA Championships.

"Andy ran a really controlled race and knew he just needed to finish in the top three of his heat to move on to the next round tomorrow," Bovee stated.  "He ran a very similar race as he did at the MVC Championships, when he was right in the middle of two guys in front of him in the final turn and cruised in knowing he had a spot in the top three.  I think he has more in the tank for the tomorrow and I think his chances are good to move on in the 400."

Ariel Michalek will take hit the track Friday in the 3000-meter steeplechase, which is set to begin at 8:50 p.m.  Her time of 10:20.90 at the prestigious Stanford Invitational on April 3 ranks her No. 19 in the field heading into the meet.

"I was very of both of our competitors today and I think they set the tone for the rest of the team for the remainder of the weekend with their performances today," Bovee said.

Redbird fans can follow all the West Preliminary action online, courtesy of a live webcast provided at texassports.com. Live results will also be provided by branchsportstech.com. Updates, photos and more will be available on Twitter by following @ISU_Track_XC and @NCAA, and fans are encouraged to interact with the meet by following and using the hashtag #NCAATF.

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